Tales of Da Loa's Bounty: Goblin's Ambition
by SmashyPumkin
Summary: Mz. Molotov Hexitorque has designed an offshore drilling platform for Azerite, and used the idea to form her own cartel in competition with Trade Prince Gallywix. When Azeroth itself takes issue with Hexitorque's drilling, it is up to the crew of Da Loa's Bounty to keep her alive and in business.
1. Chapter One

Monalwyn grimaced, teasing her feet off the side of the sailboat and playing gently with the salt water at her feet.

"You know, Elle," she mused slowly, "it's not really piracy if you work with your government."

Eleftheria looked up from her fishing, and shrugged. "De Loa's Bounty is a pirate ship. I'm a pirate. Dat's all there is to it."

"Well, you say that," Monalwyn looked over her shoulder at the Zandalari Troll, wrinkling her nose under the glare of the evening sunlight. "But aren't you more like a... a privateer?"

Eleftheria thought for a moment. "Naw. I be a pirate, mon."

Monalwyn laughed. "A pirate who happens to be on good terms with the Steamwheedle Cartel, the Warchief, and her queen? Doesn't sound very mercenary to me."

"You ain't gotta understand it," said Eleftheria, pulling in her hook for a recast. "It just be."

"It just... be," repeated Monalwyn, shaking her head and letting herself doze off a bit. "You know this is more of a dinghy than a ship."

"Ain't de size of de ship, it's the actions of its crew, eh?" Eleftheria's voice took on a slight edge.

"It's got holes," pointed out Monalwyn, wiggling a fingertip in a damp crack where two planks of the hull met.

"Where?" challenged Eleftheria. "Ain't got no holes. I patched them up."

Monalwyn laughed gaily, moving her hands behind her head so she could look dreamily up at the sky. There were few clouds overhead, but it was enough to keep the Nightborne's attention as she let her thoughts wander.

"What about you then?" Eleftheria asked, not registering her friend's restful position.

"Hm?" Monalwyn didn't open her eyes.

"You be askin' me what I be," Eleftheria explained, "so what be you?"

Monalwyn thought for a moment. "That, my Zandalari friend," she replied, "is a very good question."

"I s'pose you ain't gotta pick one thing," Eleftheria mused gently. "But I tell you one thing you be."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You be my soulmate," Eleftheria turned to look at Monalwyn, and she winked.

"I can never tell if you're actually winking at me because of that eyepatch," Monalwyn giggled.

Eleftheria leaned over Monalwyn and kissed her forehead. "T'was a wink, love. You rest up, I be catchin' us a good dinner for tonight."

"Oh no," Monalwyn smiled. "Not more of your cooking!"

"Ain't nothin' wrong with my cooking!" Eleftheria protested. Monalwyn laughed and Eleftheria pouted. "I burnt one fish, once, and you be actin' like a Tortollan with a thousand-year-old memory about it."

"I love your cooking, Elle," Monalwyn reassured her. "I also like getting under your skin."

Eleftheria shook her head. "I've no idea why the loa attached my spirit to yours."

"You know exactly why," Monalwyn rolled over onto her stomach to look at Eleftheria. "Because Bwonsamdi has a sense of humor."

"Dat he does," growled Eleftheria.

"Do you regret the bargain we made?" Monalwyn's question was genuine.

"Is that you askin'?" Eleftheria challenged. "Or Bwonsamdi?"

"It's me," Monalwyn replied, laying a hand on Eleftheria's thigh.

"I don't regret it," Eleftheria smiled down at the Nightborne Elf, her eye glittering. "Often," she added, pulling in her line for a recast.


	2. Chapter Two

Molotov Hexitorque was not a sailor. She had spent plenty of time on ships, and in the ocean, and she had been trapped with much of the Zandalari fleet in Nazjatar when Queen Azshara decided to rise from the deep to make the navies of the Horde and Alliance her playthings. It was in the depths of Nazjatar that she realized there was far more Azerite available than was being harvested.

The massive mining operation in Silithus was providing the Horde with at least as much Azerite as the Alliance, but a new source? That would tip the scales. And it would make Molli rich and powerful in ways that being a shaman couldn't do for her.

Her trail of thought had led her to Bligewater Harbor, and her own private home there amid the tinkering hammers and occasional explosions of other goblins. There, she had worked out a method of detecting Azerite in the depths, and even more importantly, a method of extracting it. Her next hurdle was financial backing. In all her travels, she had amassed a decent fortune, but it was nowhere near what she needed to finance a project of this scale.

She had already made arrangements to meet with Trade Prince Jaster Gallywix, who had spent a great deal of time on the Banshee's Wail, the Horde's Forsaken flagship, at the same time Molli was fighting to keep the Alliance out of Zuldazar. They were going to meet in Gallywix's Pleasure Palace later in the evening. She had never been to the Pleasure Palace before, but she expected it would befit the Trade Prince's glamorous sense of style.

She'd have her own palace someday. She planned to build it on the shores of Kezan, as Razdunk had done with the Venture Company. Kezan should belong to the Bilgewater Cartel anyway, as far as she could discern. And what Razdunk lacked in planning, Molli would more than make up for in support from her cartel and the Horde.

The string lights that hung between posts on either side of the pathways were already lit by the time she stepped out of her home. Above her, Big Betsy, quite probably the most massive cannon ever built, loomed impressively as a monument of Goblin ingenuity and Gallywix's deep pockets. She spared it a glance as she straddled her motorcycle, kicking its engine on and imagining the tremendous thunderclap it would make if it were fired, enhanced by Azerite, at its distant target.

It was a short ride to the dock, where the ferry brought her to the mainland, and from there it would be a short ride up to the palace. The roar of her bike's engine in her ears drowned out the world, the chirping birds and the sound of the wind through the trees. Instead, she let her mind wander to darker subjects.

The war had been difficult on Molli, not that she would admit it to herself. Her best friend through the defense of Zuldazar had gone her own way when the Battle for Dazar'alor was over. She had always considered her friend her first bodyguard, the nearest thing she'd ever had to a confidant. And the fact that she could walk away so easily was not a betrayal Molli took lightly. She had become more reserved, more shrewd, but more focused in the following months.

But it had also given her the freedom to develop the offshore platform, which Hu'nibi never would have approved of. The blue troll had seemed to take Magni Bronzebeard at his word with regard to the dangers of harvesting Azerite for private use. It was part of the reason she had left. Molli wanted more power, Hu'nibi was satisfied to let the world pass her by. Maybe it was a monk thing, Molli reasoned. Maybe she just needed to sit on a quiet mountaintop in Pandaria until she came to realize that she was being a dope.

And what was the alternative? The gnomes weren't going to stop inventing just because the goblins had. And then some other enterprising goblin would end up with all the money in their pockets. And that didn't suit Molli. Being on the frontlines of a war was harsh business. She was done with all that. After this, she would be a baroness in her own right.

No, she thought. Better. A _Trade Princess_. A goblin whose power would rival Gallywix's. Maybe she'd even build up a rival cartel, a group that could rival Bilgewater and Steamwheedle, really gouge their profits and serve the Warchief's needs.

She grinned behind her goggles, ignoring the small bugs getting trapped in her sharp teeth. Revving her engine harder, she sped up the mountainside to Gallywix's Pleasure Palace.


	3. Chapter Three

"Where you be, girl? I be busy, you know," a low, dark voice echoed in the darkness of Eleftheria's thoughts. She knew that voice too well.

"I am here, Bwonsamdi," she answered. Her voice felt distant, not her own.

"I heard you was thinkin' of changing our bargain," a pair of bright blue pinpoints of light burned into existence before Eleftheria's vision, and around them lit a male troll's face, painted with the shape of a skull.

"You heard wrong," Eleftheria said firmly. "Ain't no change in our bargain."

"No?" the loa of death grinned, his blue eyes flashing. "Then why did you summon me?"

"I merely ask for your blessing, Bwonsamdi," Eleftheria felt herself kneel in obeisance, but her vision was locked on Bwonsamdi's face.

The loa reached out a single bony hand to hold her face. "When did I take your eye, child? Remind me."

"You took it as a guarantee of our bargain," Eleftheria explained.

"Ah, yes," hissed Bwonsamdi, twisting his other hand and producing her severed eye between his thumb and forefinger. "Just one eye, for two lives. How did you get me to agree to such a poor trade?"

"Because for one eye you are guaranteed two souls," Eleftheria reminded him. "Do I have your blessing? You are not the only one who is busy."

"What ya want my blessing for?" Bwonsamdi closed his fist around her eye and it disappeared. "You spent the whole day fishin'. You about to go into battle now?"

"Is it so strange for a troll to be askin' for the blessing of her loa?" Eleftheria countered.

"No, child," Bwonsamdi laughed. "But not long ago you'd been askin' for de favor of Torga."

"And Torga ain't no more," Eleftheria growled.

"Oh, he ain't passed by me yet, child!" Bwonsamdi smiled. "But we all gotta go sometime."

"Even Bwonsamdi?" Eleftheria raised the eyebrow above her good eye.

"Especially Bwonsamdi," he vanished into the darkness, except for his eyes.

Eleftheria felt alone in an empty space, darkness around her on all sides, as Bwonsamdi's eyes faded into the darkness. "Consider yourself to have my blessin', Eleftheria. But I be waitin' for you and your friend."

Eleftheria opened her eyes and looked up at the shrine to Bwonsamdi. The fire at its base burned blue, and the fish she had laid there as offering were gone. Sighing, she stood up and headed towards the stairs.

Monalwyn waited for her outside the Zanchul in the Zocalo, eating an apple and watching the small saurids dart about with shiny objects they took from various shops and passersby. To sate her curiosity, she took a silver coin out of her purse, shined it on her pant leg, and tossed it out in front of one of the saurids. The creature snatched it up immediately, barked in its lizard voice, and ran off down the street. Monalwyn chuckled to herself.

"Having fun with that?" asked Eleftheria, a note of judgement in her voice, as she came down the stairs and into the Zocalo.

"I like the cute little animals," the Nightborne nodded. "You ready to get some food? I hear the Drunken Drummer has some good eating."

"You know we ain't got money for that," Eleftheria patted Monalwyn on the back. "Besides, I still got those fish that we can cook."

"I don't think I fancy another night on the beach, looking up at the stars," Monalwyn complained.

"You just gave away your silver," shrugged Eleftheria. "But if you got the money to be spendin' the night at an inn, you be my guest richmon."

"Don't start with that "richmon" nonsense," Monalwyn wagged her finger up at the Zandalari, who laughed.

"I'm goin' back to the beach," Eleftheria waved her hand dismissively and turned to head in the direction of the water.

"If you see Nola, tell her I say hi," called Monalwyn after her.

Eleftheria turned. "If I see her, I'm gonna remind her that you owe her students a calligraphy lesson!"

"You woudn't!" Monalwyn's mouth dropped open.

"Have a good night," Eleftheria waved goodbye to her friend, turning her back and using the length of her stride to outpace the Nightborne monk easily.

It would be nice to have the evening to herself, Eleftheria reflected. Not only did it mean she didn't have to share the fish, it meant that she could get much needed space from Monalwyn. They had spent much of their time since the bargain in close proximity, as much to make sure that they weren't taking undue risks as it was because they enjoyed each other's company. But too much time together and not enough apart had made them more adversarial as of late, and Eleftheria knew that they needed space.

No troll would ever complain about discomfort from sleeping on the ground, especially not a Zandalari, and Eleftheria preferred to sleep on Da Loa's Bounty anyway. But Monalwyn was not a troll, and elves were made of softer stuff. They needed things like pillows and beds, blankets, and other hallmarks of comfort that most trolls would find obscene and unnecessary. Still, Eleftheria knew that Monalwyn was no mouse. She had witnessed the Nightborne elf shatter bones with her punches and kicks, sending enemies to the ground in droves.

"Hey, Zandalari!" an Amani troll stepped into Eleftheria's path. Though he was noticeably shorter than Eleftheria, he was widely built and heavily armored. "I've seen you around. You're one of those Horde flunkies, aren't you?"

"Mind ya business," Eleftheria replied, trying to push past him.

He put a hand on her chest. She looked down at it with distaste.

"I thought the Zandalari were the enemies of da Horde," he insisted. "Supposed to set the example for all us trolls. That's why you been actin' high and mighty all this time, ke?"

Eleftheria grabbed the troll's wrist. "I said mind ya business. Unless ya be wantin' not to go home to ya little Amani wife and kids this evenin'."

The Amani troll growled and pushed her chest hard.

Eleftheria was caught slightly off balance, but fell into it, reaching up with her free hand and carrying herself in a backflip. In a flash, her sword was drawn.

"You sure you want to do this?" Eleftheria asked one last time, but the Amani troll was already shouting and charging at her with a large axe. She nimbly stepped out of the way and elbowed him in the back, using the momentum from the hit to draw one of her pistols from her pistol belt.

The Amani tripped forward but caught himself as she whipped her sword down across his shoulder. He caught it with his shield and she brought the pistol up to his neck and fired point-blank. He blinked, gasping for breath through the bloody hole in his throat. There was a clatter as his axe dropped to the floor and he reached for his neck.

Eleftheria dropped her pistol on its string and stepped back, hand on the hilt of her second sword. She expected the troll to recover, but he shook violently with the effort of remaining alive, mouthing the word "traitor," before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell onto his chest.

"We all gotta go sometime," Bwonsamdi's voice echoed in her head. She shook her head. The Amani troll hadn't bet that she had her loa's blessing, and that Bwonsamdi was always hungry for the souls Eleftheria sent him. Every soul was another payment toward her own immortality, and that of her soulmate. Though most trolls would have been able to regenerate from such a shot, this one had been denied the opportunity by the power of the loa of death.

A chill gripped Eleftheria as she recalled what it felt like to call upon your body's natural healing powers and feeling no recovery happen. A grimace creased her face as she tried to wipe the feeling from her chest. The fool had come after her, and had made his choice to die rather than stand down.

The futility of it, Eleftheria reflected, was that she had no great affinity for the Horde in particular. She went where the money and the action was, and to whomever paid well. If that was the Queen, or the Horde, she might have silently pilfered a few war supplies here and there, but that was merely to aid her cause. It wasn't as though she had become particularly wealthy from it.

Much like her adventures into archaeology, it was all a means to an end. Someday, she would trade up, get a sloop of her own and hire on a crew. She'd keep the sail from De Loa's Bounty, at least. It was, after all, her hallmark of freedom. Her home.

It was not a long walk down through the Grand Bazaar to Little Tortolla, where she gave a wave to Trader Nog as she passed. He grumbled and shook his head at her, muttering something about counterfeit artifacts and young ones these days. Just past Trader Nog was the Steamway, a large underground passage that was intricately carved out by the Zandalari, but heated by natural steam so that the Tortollans could incubate their eggs in the warm pools there. The passage led out onto a sandy stretch of beach looking out over Zuldazar Harbor, and a smattering of Zandalari vagrants called this beach their home. Small tents were set up between the treeline and the point where the tide rose, and poor fisher trolls lived and operated their businesses out of canoes that they maintained along the beach. Among all of the canoes, De Loa's Bounty was an extravagant vessel, with a wide hull and a single mainstay that hung its large square sail.

She looked at the sailboat, pulled up onto the beach with its sail stowed and oars tucked safely inside. She was proud of it, a vessel she had helped her father craft when she was young. He had instilled a love of the sea in her, and when King Rastakhan asked him to serve in his navy he had left her. He swore to return, but he never did. But Torga had provided her everything she needed to finish the Bounty, and she finished her sailboat and began looking for her father on the shores of Pandaria.

It was there that she truly learned of the conflict going on, and resolved to stay out of it. She began quietly thieving from larger supply vessels in the night who wouldn't take notice of her sailboat, fishing to eat and never straying too far from the coast of Stranglethorn. There was always a buyer in Booty Bay looking for goods, and the Bounty always came back with something somebody wanted. It was there that she had met Monalwyn, the Nightborne elf that had become linked to her soul until one of them died.

Eleftheria stood over her boat and began to inspect it for the holes her companion complained about, but found none. Satisfied, she stretched out across the bottom of the hull and looked up and counted the stars until she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter Four

Jastor Gallywix looked at the blueprints again, his face written with bored contempt. He scratched his head with a fat finger and shifted his glance towards Molotov Hexitorque.

They were meeting in Gallywix's large office, a great big wood-paneled room with wide windows looking out over the green golf course in his backyard. The overweight Goblin Trade Prince stood in front of his huge desk, a couple steps higher than the parquet floor where Molli was brushing some dust off of her robes from the motorcycle ride up to the Pleasure Palace.

"Miss Hexitorque," Gallywix started.

"Mz Hexitorque," corrected Molli.

"Whatever. These plans don't look like anything we couldn't do ourselves. So thanks for coming by, but we're not gonna just start drilling anywhere for more Azerite."

"Oh, well that's the thing, Trade Prince!" Molli said excitedly. She reached up around her neck and took off her necklace, holding it up for the fat trade prince to see. "Magni Bronzebeard gave me one of these."

Gallywix waved around the head of his cane, which also had a chunk of Azerite on it. "And I've got one of these. What's your point?"

"I've spent a lot of time working on this," Molli said hurriedly. "And I can use my shamanic powers, along with my Heart of Azeroth here, to detect concentrated sources of Azerite deep beneath the ocean. All I need is a ship and a crew."

Gallywix's face twisted into a frown, and then into an evil grin. He nodded slowly. "You can find and fund that little expedition yourself."

"Well it would go much faster if-," Molotov started.

"No," Gallywix insisted. "Do you know how many SI:7 agents are watching my every move? Any of these idiot Hobgoblins might be relaying information to the Alliance and we'd never know. It's best we don't have any official associations until we've got something solid. By then it'll be too late for them to play catchup."

Molotov's eyebrows shot up. She shrugged. "Alright then, I'll figure it out on my own. And if I pull this off, then you'll fund one of my rigs?"

"Prove to me that you can find rich sources of Azerite under the Great Sea and I'll see to it that you'll never want for anything as long as you live," Gallywix grinned. He held out a hand towards Molotov.

She looked warily at him for a moment, gripping his hand tightly but not shaking. "No tricks?"

Gallywix laughed a throaty laugh, then looked Molotov right in the eyes. "Don't you worry," he assured her. "I'm all business."

Giving him a long side eyed glance, Molli shook Gallywix's hand just once. "Have the paperwork ready when I get back."

"Yeah, yeah," Gallywix handed her back her rolled-up blueprints and gestured towards the exit. "There's the door."

"I won't take long!" insisted Molli.

"No, I'm sure you won't," agreed Gallywix congenially. "Bye!"

Molotov shook her head in frustration as she pushed her way past the lumbering hobgoblin that was standing guard at the door.

When he was all alone, Gallywix wobbled around to the far side of his desk where a series of pipes and tubes allowed the Trade Prince to communicate with anyone in his household. He grabbed one and shouted, "Druz! Get up here, I got a job for ya!"


	5. Chapter Five

Eleftheria awoke to Monalwyn standing over her, blocking the early morning sunlight from her one good eye. When backlit, the Nightborne elf was almost a black shadow, save for the curling tattoos that glowed with magical energy beneath her skin. She wore a wide hat and a scarlet scarf around her face, a sleeveless leather jerkin trimmed with brass and scarlet designs, and comfortable cloth pants with leather padding that matched the style of her jerkin. Her eyes glowed blue against her dark form.

"Where to today, O Great Pirate Captain?" Monalwyn asked, pulling down her scarf so that Eleftheria could see her smile in the shadows.

"Stop standin' in the sun," Eleftheria rolled over and sat up. Other Zandalari on the beach were beginning their morning routines, preparing their canoes for fishing or travel to different parts of the island.

Monalwyn walked around to the other side of the boat, placing a booted foot upon its bow. "When do we ship out?" she persisted.

"When I've gotten enough supply from the Great Bazaar to last us all the way to Stranglethorn," Eleftheria rubbed the sleep out of her eye and grabbed her waterskin from the footlocker at the back of the Bounty.

"Oh, you might not want to go to the Bazaar right now, Elle," Monalwyn's impish smile faded.

"Why not?" Eleftheria wiped the excess water from her lips.

"Well it seems as though a certain one-eyed Zandalari was seen shooting a troll to death in the streets there last night," Monalwyn cocked her head. "You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"He started the fight with me," Eleftheria shook her head. "He was hot-headed. Amani be dyin' there all the time, why's this one so important?"

Monalwyn shrugged. "I guess he was some kind of chieftain's son or something, I'm not sure. But the family has lodged an official complaint with the Zandalari."

"What do I care?" Eleftheria climbed out of the boat and put on her pistol belt. "He's just an Amani."

"Look, I don't know any of this troll business," Monalwyn began.

"No, ya don't," Eleftheria tried to interrupt.

Monalwyn continued, "But it seems like the Zandalari position these days is that all trolls are trolls and that trolls come first."

"If that be true, why did Queen Talanji join da Horde?"

Monalwyn paused and pointed a finger at her friend. "You've got me there. That one's a puzzler."

"She be creatin' trouble for me, and I be solvin' that trouble," Eleftheria said. "Now I be in trouble for solvin' that trouble."

"It's a tangled web we weave, certainly," Monalwyn agreed.

"We ain't gonna make it to Booty Bay on what I can fish," Eleftheria replied. "Come with me or stay, I don't care. But I'm headed into town to get some supplies."

Monalwyn hung back for a moment while Eleftheria trudged up the beach back towards the steamway. In a moment, the Nightborne elf was at her side as though she hadn't missed a step.

"You said you didn't have any money," Monalwyn reminded her.

"I don't," agreed Eleftheria. "What's your point?"

"Oh, I see."

"We gonna lay low in Booty Bay a while after, find a few well-payin' jobs around there."

Monalwyn nodded, and pulled her scarf back up to cover her face. "We had best be quick then."


	6. Chapter Six

Coriander Devilshot considered himself the best assassin on the market. It didn't matter to him that there were a dearth of other goblins that considered themselves to hold the same title. All that mattered was that, as far as he was concerned, there was no one better. That's why he could afford to charge the extra few gold to get a job done quickly and quietly.

What set him apart from his competition, he reasoned, was that he operated entirely without allegiance. He didn't play by the Horde's rules, or the Alliance's rules, and he didn't belong to one of the cartels. In fact, he'd pulled jobs for all of them at different times. So it didn't surprise him in the least when he met up with Druz up in the hills overlooking Ratchet to set up a deal.

Druz handed him a hand-drawn picture of a goblin woman, and pointed at it. "I've been followin' this one since she left Bilgewater Harbor," he explained. "She's about to buy passage to the Eastern Kingdoms, and I still have important business here in Kalimdor."

"What's her deal?" Coriander studied the picture intently.

"She's a shaman," Druz explained. "Powerful one, too."

"That's gonna cost you extra," Coriander smiled. He could imagine the money in his coin purse already. "There's extra risk involved when they know magic."

"I don't want you to kill her yet," Druz explained. "She's gonna wander out to sea at some point, and I need to know exactly where she goes."

"What do you mean, like coordinates?" Coriander's face scrunched up in confusion. "You know I kill people right?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're a big tough guy," Druz waved his hand and pulled a metal contraption out of his bag with a long antenna and a small dish attached to it. "This here is your APS - Azeroth Positioning System. It'll tell you exactly where you are at all times."

"I don't know about this," Coriander took the device from Duz and looked at it. Its face was covered in buttons and dials. "I normally just do the whole "dagger in the throat" thing."

"This job comes with per diem," Druz snapped his fingers, and a hobgoblin stepped forward and dropped a small sack of coins into his waiting hand. "Don't get caught. Follow her for as long as it takes. She can't see you. Come back as soon as you know where she goes."

Coriander's ears perked up, and he nodded. "I've done some weird jobs, but this might be the weirdest."

"Do this, and the Bilgewater Cartel will owe you a large debt of gratitude," Druz smiled.

"You had me at "Bilgewater Cartel will owe" me," Coriander set aside the APS and snatched the coin purse from Druz's hand. He dumped it out in his other palm and began counting the coins. "This is only 25 gold."

"There's more where that came from," Druz told him. "You do know what per diem means, don't you?"

"How am I supposed to collect if I'm halfway across the world chasin' this broad across the ocean?"

"We have agents everywhere who can make sure you receive your payments, Mr. Devilshot. You just make sure you report in where you're supposed to."

Coriander gave Druz an appraising look.

"You've already taken the money," Druz said, turning. "We're through here."

Druz was forced to stop suddenly as he felt Coriander's knife edge at his throat. Druz's hobgoblin bruisers drew their clubs in a clumsy show of force. Druz held up his hands.

"I better get everything, Druz," Coriander whispered. "I don't trust you, and I don't trust your boss."

"I knew you looked like a smart goblin," Druz smiled. "Don't worry, you're not the one getting screwed this time. You're the one doin' the screwin'."

Satisfied, Coriander removed the knife from Druz's throat.

With a snap and a point, Druz ordered the hobgoblins to lead the way back down into Ratchet and he followed.

Coriander stared at the gold pieces still in his hand. If they were paying him not to kill, then he wouldn't kill.


	7. Chapter Seven

Several weeks later, Molotov was sitting on the edge of her bed in the Salty Sailor Tavern and crying softly. She had seen vicious battle, been set back by the worst the Alliance could throw at her - the worst Azeroth could throw at her! - but she couldn't manage to make this one thing work. The only ships she had been able to hire took her from Bilgewater Harbor to Ratchet, and then across the Great Sea to Booty Bay, each time looking for a crew mercenary enough to go on the expedition with her.

"Just sail off into the blue without a destination?" they had always asked. "You're out of your damn mind. There's no payoff in that!"

Her dreams of becoming a Trade Princess seemed so far away now, all because she could not afford the loyalty of a reliable crew. Nor, even, a seaworthy vessel.

"Oh, this isn't my room!" a tall, slender Nightborne elf stood in Molli's doorway, looking around at the small compartment. "They usually save this one for me. That's odd."

Molotov looked up at her with large, bloodshoot eyes.

"Oof, are you okay?" asked the elf, tattoos on her shoulders glowing slightly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Molli lied in a weak voice.

"No you're not," the elf said, sitting on the bed beside the goblin. "I'm Monalwyn. Is this your first time in Booty Bay?"

"Hardly!" shouted Molotov. Monalwyn jumped, scooting away from her a little. Molli took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm just a little on edge right now. I'm fine, really."

"It doesn't take a powerful wizard to see that you're not," Monalwyn replied firmly. "Just tell me what's going on."

"I can't find a crew," Molli shrugged, giving in. "Everybody either wants a ton of coin or they don't want to go out deep enough into the ocean to find the big payoffs."

"Big payoffs, did you say?" Monalwyn's eyes narrowed.

"You have no idea," Molotov rubbed the tears from her eyes. She stood up and pointed a finger at the elf. "None of you have any idea! This is the path to fame and fortune I'm talkin' about here! This is no small job!"

"And nobody's picking this job up then?" Monalwyn asked suspiciously. "Why not?"

"Well I can't really promise anything," Molotov explained. "I spent a fair amount of my liquid assets just getting here, and I need the rest to invest in the technology that I need to develop my theories."

"Liquid assets?" Monalwyn shook her head. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to the way goblins speak."

"Say, you don't look like a mariner," Molli took in the comfortable clothing the Nightborne elf wore, and the way she didn't seem to be armed. "What're you doing here?"

"I crew with the dread pirate Eleftheria," Monalwyn smiled a sideways smile.

"Dread pirate, huh?" Molli chewed on the thought. "Never heard of him."

"Well De Loa's Bounty keeps a small crew, but we're a small ship. Maybe I could put in a good word for you with the captain if you can see to it to find another room?"

Molotov frowned. "What?"

"Like I said, they normally save this room for me," Monalwyn rotated to put her feet up on the bed and her hands between her head and the pillow. "If you could see to it to find a different room to stay in while you're here, I can go to Eleftheria and maybe convince her to take you on your little adventure."

Hope surged in Molotov's chest. Impossible. She had been hopeless moments ago, and this elf walked into her life and just answered her prayers. And a small ship meant a small crew, which meant a smaller up-front cost. It could work.

"Deal," agreed Molli, pulling her pack out from beneath the bed and a pouch full of spell reagents off of the bedside table. "I move, you put in a good word for me with your captain. I'll discuss percentages with him when we meet."

"I'm sure Eleftheria will like that," Monalwyn yawned. "I hope you didn't get my bed all wet with your goblin tears."

Molli's cheeks burned red, and her face became stormy. Never trust an elf, she told herself. Never trust an elf.

"Is there something else I can do for you?" Monalwyn glanced casually over at her.

"My name is Molotov Hexitorque," Molli said. "I never told you that. I'll be downstairs tomorrow morning, first thing, ready to go."

"I shall see you in the morning then, Miss Hexitorque," Monalwyn smiled, closing her eyes.

"Mz Hexitorque," corrected Molli.

"I'm sorry?"

"For a goblin, it's 'Mz.' Never 'Miss.'"

Monalwyn opened her eyes and sat halfway up, giving Molli an appraising glance. "I'd never heard that before."

"A lot of goblin culture fell out of fashion when we joined up with the Horde," Molli said. "Sleep well, Monalwyn."

With that, Molli carried her things out of the small room and sought out the innkeeper to set herself up with a different room.


	8. Chapter Eight

In Grommash Hold's main chamber, Gallywix bowed deeply before Sylvanas Windrunner, and the Banshee Queen marveled that the fat little goblin didn't lose his balance as his great weight shifted.

"I have exciting plans, Warchief," he said, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Get up," she replied shortly. "What interest do I have in your plans?"

Gallywix looked around the room, and then smiled slyly. He curled his finger in a gesture to signify he wished the Banshee Queen to come closer. She narrowed her eyes, but complied, leaning in to hear what the goblin had to say.

"We've discovered a new source of Azerite," he whispered.

Sylvanas stood up and nodded down at him solemnly. She bid the Trade Prince follow her into a small, private chamber, where she sat in a chair and crossed her legs. "Go on."

"Well, Warchief, I continue to bring you updates that would benefit the Horde," Gallywix drawled.

"Get to the point, Trade Prince," Sylvanas growled. "I have little patience for your sycophantic games."

"Of course, Warchief, my apologies," Gallywix nodded. "Back in the Second War, we devised a way to extract oil from beneath the sea."

"And now you expect to do this with Azerite?" Sylvanas raised an eyebrow.

"We'll increase our stockpiles of Azerite exponentially," Gallywix smiled. "Think of all we could do!"

"Yes," Sylvanas mused. She sat silently for a long moment. "But I made a promise to Magni Bronzebeard that we would limit our operations so as not to destroy the planet."

"Warchief," Gallywix protested. "We've been mining so much of this stuff already, and I haven't seen any evidence that the world will be destroyed, have you? And since when do we listen to Magni Bronzebeard?"

Sylvanas's red eyes burned, and Jastor Gallywix reeled.

"Does the Alliance know about this?" Sylvanas asked.

"No, of course not," Gallywix blustered. "I came straight to you, Warchief."

"We will speak of this no more," Sylvanas stood to leave the room. She stopped in the door and turned to look at him with her burning glare. "I see many, many things, Trade Prince Gallywix. Do not underestimate the wisdom of the once-Dwarven king. We take what we need to survive in our fight against the Alliance, only because they will not hesitate to do the same to us."

"We're missing a golden opportunity to beat them to the punch, Warchief," Gallywix insisted.

Sylvanas held up her hand. "The Little Lion is licking his wounds after Nazjatar. And so are we. We do not have a strong enough naval presence to protect a series of offshore rigs. We must focus our efforts on what we do have."

"And what is that, Warchief?"

Sylvanas smiled, and Gallywix's heart turned cold.

"We have Dark Shore."


	9. Chapter Nine

Molli tapped her foot impatiently, looking around the room. It was first thing in the morning, and the room was empty save for the innkeeper and a bruiser. She had a mug of coffee on the table in front of her, and she took a sip to distract her from her impatience.  
As time wore on, and more people filtered through the room, her patience wore too thin. Molli counted the people in the room, starting over every time someone came in or someone left. She had yet to see the Nightborne Elf. As morning turned into noon and then afternoon, she became irritated. She checked with the innkeeper./p  
"Have you seen a Nightborne elf today?" she demanded. "Name of Monalwyn? Wears a Pandaren-style hat?"  
The innkeeper nodded. "Yeah, she was up really early this morning. First one out the door. I think she was up before me."  
"What?" Molli's mouth dropped open.  
"She's a regular here, usually stays in the last room on the left upstairs."  
"Yeah, I know where she usually stays," Molotov growled. "Do you know where she might be?"  
"Well, she usually hangs around with a Zandalari troll, they've got a little sailboat that they move about in. I think they've got quite a lot of distance under them, they disappear for weeks at a time."  
"A sailboat?" This was getting worse and worse. All of Molotov's hopes died in her chest again. That blasted elf had lied. You can't trust an elf!  
"Well sure, though I don't think I've ever seen it actually docked in the harbor," the innkeeper scratched his head. "It's usually just pulled up on the beach on the east side of town, over by where the Bloodsail tend to spend their time."  
"Well at least she was telling the truth about being a pirate," Molotov shook her head. She took a copper coin out of her purse and flipped it to the innkeeper. "Thanks for the tip. I'll see ya around."  
Grabbing her bag from where she had been sitting, she rushed out the door and waved her hand over her head. She pulled a seashell from her reagents bag, crushed it in her hand, and threw it on the ground before her. As she stepped forward, a massive water elemental rose from between the planks that made up the walkway beneath her feet and lifted her off the ground.  
"Squishy! Take me to the beach just outside the eastern entrance of town," Molli shouted.  
The elemental nodded and rushed off down the boardwalk, pushing surprised passersby out of the way.  
Molotov found the Nightborne elf right where the innkeeper said she would be. A band of human pirates approached the goblin, elf, and Zandalari troll to see what was going on with the large water elemental. She could dismiss it at will, but for now she liked how imposing it looked for her to stand atop it.  
"Oh, it's you," Monalwyn waved happily up at Molli. "You found me!"  
"We had a deal!" thundered Molotov. "You were supposed to put in a good word for me with your captain!"  
"Oh, that," Monalwyn nodded, then turned to her Zandalari friend, who was looking silently up at Molli with a single pale white eye. "Eleftheria, this is Montalban Hexbolt. Montalban, this is the dread pirate Eleftheria."  
All of the surrounding human pirates laughed, and the Zandalari growled at them, placing one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other on the grip of her pistol.  
"My name is Mz Molotov Hexitorque!" Molli screamed. "We had a deal you worthless elf!"  
"What ya be wantin', ya loud little shaman?" Eleftheria called up to her. Even when riding atop the elemental, the troll was nearly as tall as Molli was.  
Molotov pointed a finger at Monalwyn, and Squishy shot an arm out toward the elf. Eyes wide, Monalwyn rolled backwards and popped up in a defensive stance as the water from Squishy's arm crashed into the sand, leaving a deep crater where it had landed. Shouting in anger, Molotov punched a fist down at the ground, which shook violently, knocking the humans off of their feet, and causing Eleftheria and Monalwyn to hold onto their sailboat for stability. Quickly, Molli opened her fist and grasped at the air in front of her. One of Monalwyn's feet was enveloped in earth.  
"Elle!" Monalwyn shouted, panic in her voice.  
Molli turned to see where the Zandalari had gone, but she had inexplicably disappeared. She turned her focus to the monk, and stopped when she heard the familiar click of a pistol's hammer locking back behind her head.  
"Let her go," Eleftheria demanded in a low growl.  
"Shooting me would be a huge mistake," Molli said coolly.  
"Then Bwonsamdi would claim three souls today," Eleftheria answered.


	10. Chapter Ten

Coriander picked himself up off the boardwalk and looked down at his soaking wet clothes. He couldn't believe his quarry had just soaked him. The size of the elemental, however, meant she was much more powerful than he'd been led to believe over the past few weeks of following her around.  
A blue, three-fingered hand offered him a towel. He took the towel and followed the arm up to see a hooded figure with bright purple eyes flashing out from beneath its cover. He recognized the posture of a Darkspear Troll, though she was wearing thick black and maroon leather armor lined with fur and spiked shoulder guards.  
"Thanks," he said, toweling himself off. "Odd that you'd have a towel on hand, but I appreciate it."  
"Never know when you gonna need a towel," the troll said. "Can't help but notice you been followin' that goblin' around for a while."  
"Excuse me?" Coriander stopped drying himself and looked up at the troll.  
"You thought you were clever, and I be lettin' you collect your money this whole time without sayin' a word," her eyes flashed.  
"I don't know what you're talkin' about, lady," Coriander tried to hand her back the towel but she didn't take it.  
"I hope you ain't spent it all, you gonna need it to pay for your medical care."  
Coriander took a step backwards and looked around. The boardwalk was suddenly empty of people, and when he reached for his dagger he realized with horror that it wasn't there.  
"Lookin' for this?" the troll held up his dagger, and then tossed it over her shoulder into the harbor. "I don't think ya gonna need it."  
Coriander broke into a dead run down the boardwalk, but the Troll was faster. She grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and held him up off the ground.  
"Who hired you?" asked the troll.  
"I didn't do nothin' to nobody!" shouted Coriander. "Help!"  
"You in the wrong town to be expectin' da law to intervene," the troll said, giving Coriander a swift punch in the side. "Who hired you?"  
Coriander groaned in pain. "Please, lady, I don't know what you're talkin' about."  
The troll held him over the harbor. "Maybe you'd like to go fishing for your dagger, richmon? I hear de sharks in Booty Bay are nice and friendly."  
"Sh-sharks?" Coriander thought quickly, running through a list of scenarios. He struggled, trying to loosen the troll's grip. He was certain he could swim away from any danger if she dropped him.  
"No, that be too easy an out for you," the troll shook her head. "Why don't you take a nap and I'll think of what to do with you next?"  
"Take a nap?"  
The last thing Coriander saw before blacking out was the troll's fist just in front of his face.


	11. Chapter Eleven

There was a tense moment in which the only noises were the lapping of the waves on the beach and the groaning of the human pirates as they regained their feet.  
"You're all gonna be dead one way or annuvver," growled one of the pirates, drawing his cutlass. The other humans seemed to agree, pulling their weapons from their belts and closing on the goblin, troll, and elf.  
Molotov grinned. "There's about to be a lot of dead people on this beach today, and the best part is, I'll sail away with your boat."  
Everything then happened in a flash. Molli dismissed her elemental as Eleftheria's pistol rang out with a loud bang. The goblin felt the heat of the blast on the tips of her ears as she passed, pulling one of her spring-loaded totems from her bag in one smooth motion. She didn't expect the Zandalari's cutlass to arrive quite as fast as it did, and she was forced to use the totem to block the blow.  
"A little help!" shouted Monalwyn as she ducked and weaved between cuts from angry pirates, foot still held fast by the sand.  
But Eleftheria wasn't listening. A pirate came up from behind her and stabbed at her abdomen, but she heard him coming and slid out of the way in time to parry his sword and stab him in the chest.  
Molli stuck her totem in the ground and threw down another one from her bag just as quickly, bringing her hands together and then apart to pull flame from thin air. A pair of pirates approached her from either side, and with a quick spin she set their shirts on fire. The men howled in pain and dropped their weapons, trying desperately to put the fires out.  
Monalwyn managed to disarm one of the pirates attacking her and grabbed his sword. The disarmed pirate put up his hands in surrender, and Monalwyn stabbed him through the chest. He stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before dropping to his knees.  
Eleftheria spun back towards Molotov and flung her grapple hard in the shaman's direction. Molotov was forced to step out of the way to avoid being hit, and the grapple dug deep into the sand, allowing the Zandalari to yank on it and pull herself into position behind the goblin. Molli stepped back and scooped both of her hands up in front of her, eyes wide and heart pumping. That troll should be no match for her, but she had a way of getting around her that she didn't like.  
Eleftheria had to jump backwards as the sand clumped together and formed into an earth elemental between her and the shaman.  
"Dis gonna complicate things," she muttered to herself. "But you're not takin' Da Loa's Bounty from me!"  
Monalwyn crouched low, avoiding a clumsy chop from a new attacker's axe, then leapt up from the ground with all her might. It hurt, but her leg broke free, and she was able to use the momentum to swing her good leg around in a high kick that slammed into her attacker's jaw.  
The ground began to shake and crevasses formed in the earth, splitting out from the totems she placed and turning the surrounding sand to black glass as lava burned up through the ground.  
One of the few remaining pirates was too slow in getting out of the way of the cracks and was consumed in a gout of flame that burst up from the lava flow. Another simply dropped his weapon and ran away.  
Eleftheria looked at the emerging cracks, the elemental, and then at her boat. Cursing in Zandalari, she turned heel and charged with her shoulder down at Da Loa's Bounty's bow. Monalwyn, still beside the boat, engaged the elemental.  
The construct was slow and heavy, which allowed the Nightborne elf to easily dance out of the way of its attacks. She tried punching it a few times, but all that seemed to happen was that some sand would fall off and the elemental would double down its attacks.  
Molotov grinned now that she held the battlefield in her favor. She pointed a finger at Eleftheria, and a bolt of lightning arced out from her fingertip and struck the Zandalari troll squarely between the shoulders. Eleftheria screamed in pain and fell to her knees. Monalwyn, who was in the midst of a spinning crane kick, lost her balance and fell to her butt. The elemental loomed over her.  
"Wait!" shouted Eleftheria, breathing heavily on the ground. "Wait!"  
Molotov held up her hand and the elemental stopped in mid-attack. "I can't believe you survived that."  
Eleftheria struggled to pull a small bottle out of her pocket and consumed its contents. She closed her eye and let it combine with her natural healing abilities. Her insides felt cooked, her ears rang, and her vision swam. Slowly, the pain receded and she managed to shakily sit up.  
"What do ya want from us?" Eleftheria asked. "Ya just be comin' down here and attackin' us like this. I don't wanna die for nothin'. What ya be wantin'?"  
Molli blinked. She had used force to get what she wanted before, but it wasn't her favorite thing to do. It tended to build resentment, and at sea that could be a real problem. If she hoped to salvage this situation, she'd need to show clemency. Rising to her full height, she dismissed the earth elemental and turned off her totems.  
Monalwyn crawled quickly on all fours to Eleftheria, helping her remain upright as she sat on the sand.  
"Are you alright, soulmate?" Monalwyn asked quietly.  
Eleftheria glared back at her with one angry eye. "What did you do to make this one angry?"  
p"I have been working for weeks on a special project for the Horde," Molotov explained. "A top secret project. I need a discreet crew. Not easy to come by."  
Eleftheria turned her attention to Molli. "So you be lookin' to hire us for Horde business?"  
"In a manner of speaking," Molli replied. "This is so secret that it's off the books. There's no record of this, and if you ask anyone they'll deny all knowledge."  
"I see," Eleftheria gave Monalwyn a disbelieving look. "So that's worth killin' us over then?"  
"Your friend here promised me that we would have a meeting," Molli continued calmly. "She lied, and ducked out without saying a word to me."  
"It's a waste of time," Monalwyn whispered to Eleftheria. "I thought you'd say no."  
"Ain't got much choice now," Eleftheria growled in response. She stood up and looked down at the shaman. "I expect the manner of our meetin' probably influences our pay?"  
"I expect to be compensated for my inconvenience," Molli nodded. "But your associate led me to believe that you had a ship with a crew. Is this just the boat you take to shore?"  
She pointed at Da Loa's Bounty, and Eleftheria looked back at it, then down at Molotov. The Zandalari troll felt a bubbling laugh rising in her gut and she struggled to hold back a smirk.  
"Da Loa's Bounty is all the ship I be needin'," she replied.


End file.
